Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma smashed his maiden Indian Premier League century on Saturday, leading his team to a dominant eight-wicket victory over Punjab Kings. Sharma reached his century in just 40 balls during the chase of Punjab’s imposing total of 245/6. His powerful knock included 14 fours and 10 sixes, and he finished with 141 runs off 55 balls, setting the record for the highest individual score for SRH in IPL history.
Sharma's blistering innings was complemented by an opening partnership of 171 runs with Travis Head, the second-highest opening stand in SRH’s IPL history. The record is only surpassed by the 185-run stand between Jonny Bairstow and David Warner against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019.
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Sharma's century, completed in the 13th over, is the second-fastest by an SRH batter in IPL history. Head holds the record for the fastest, having scored a century off 39 balls earlier this year. Abhishek is now the seventh SRH player to score a century in the league and the first to do so against Punjab Kings.
In addition to his century, Sharma surpassed 1,500 runs in IPL, taking his total to 1,569 runs at an average of 26.15. He has now registered seven fifties and has hit 152 fours and 83 sixes in the IPL, with a strike rate of 159.77.
This remarkable chase saw SRH finish with 247/2, achieving the second-highest chase in IPL history, surpassing Shreyas Iyer’s 82 for Punjab. Sharma’s explosive batting proved to be the difference, as SRH sealed the win with ease.
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